Police shot and seriously injured Hemanth, the 21-year-old accused in the Anantapur school chainsaw attack, in the Atmakur forest area on Sunday evening, a day after the attack on two Class 10 girls inside their classroom in Raptadu. Sources told the news agency PTI that special police teams of Anantapur district rushed to the forest area on information that Hemanth was hiding there, and that he allegedly attacked the personnel when they tried to take him into custody, prompting officers to open fire. Six rounds were fired, according to the sources.

Source: PTI via Daily Jagran

The accused sustained serious injuries in the firing and was shifted to the District Government General Hospital in Anantapur for treatment, the sources said. A video that emerged on social media showed the injured accused being taken to hospital with the support of police personnel. Some reports said he had thrown stones at the police team; a detailed official police statement on the firing was still awaited.

The attack a day earlier

On Saturday, October 31, the accused entered the government school at Raptadu by accompanying an autorickshaw that was allowed through the gate, and attacked two Class 10 students inside a classroom with a mechanised chainsaw. One girl suffered life-threatening injuries; a second girl was seriously injured when she tried to protect her classmate. According to Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, the attacker is from Naguluru village and is reportedly an orphan who was raised by his relatives.

Source: PTI via Daily Jagran

Our first report carried the full details of the classroom attack and the initial police response. Read the original story

Main victim critical in Bengaluru

The main victim was shifted to a private hospital in Bengaluru for advanced treatment. Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said she had suffered multiple grievous injuries, including the complete severing of her right hand, injuries to her neck and face, several fractures to her skull and ribs, and damage to blood vessels. She was first treated at Anantapur Government General Hospital, where doctors administered 10 units of blood to control the bleeding, and was then sent to Bengaluru through a green channel with a team of doctors. The minister said the Karnataka Chief Minister's office and Bengaluru police helped by arranging a green corridor and a police escort.

Source: PTI via Daily Jagran

In a report to the Director of Medical Education, Anantapur GGH superintendent D. Malleswari listed fractures to both shoulder blades, tendon injuries in the left forearm, multiple cuts to the scalp, face, neck, back of the shoulder, ear and eyelids, and a fracture of the C3 vertebra. The girl underwent a surgery lasting nearly 12 hours and remains in the intensive care unit at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, with the next 48 hours described as critical. Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh travelled to Bengaluru on Sunday to meet the doctors treating her.

Source: Nation Press

The second girl suffered cuts to her ankle and a fracture while trying to protect her classmate, and is undergoing treatment in hospital. The Health Minister said he had recommended her name to the Prime Minister's Office for a bravery award, citing her attempt to save her friend during the attack.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he was deeply shaken and enraged by the attack on the students inside their classroom. "I am personally tracking her recovery and have directed the medical team to give her the highest priority care. I have ordered the police to hunt down the monster responsible and deliver the harshest legal punishment swiftly," Naidu said in a post on X.

Source: PTI via Daily Jagran

The victims are minors, and Awaaz Punjab does not name them. Police are continuing their investigation into the attack, including how a chainsaw was carried into the school, and security was reported to be tight at the hospital where the accused is being treated.